Dear Colleagues,

 

On behalf of Team DLF, it is with great enthusiasm that I share our location for the 2024 DLF Forum. As I’m sure you have experienced, the Covid-19 pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on the landscape of large-scale academic conferences and events. Understandably, expectations about events have changed, including increased emphasis on health and safety, accessibility, affordability, and environmental sustainability.

In response to shifting expectations, DLF is taking a deliberate step forward. In 2024, we will be testing a change in our conference structure. Traditionally, the DLF Forum and affiliated events have been held once a year in-person at a hotel. However, we are now embarking on an experimental journey, introducing a hybrid model that offers an in-person experience in summer and a virtual experience in the fall. Our aim in offering two distinct events in different formats is to provide participants with enhanced flexibility and accessibility, ensuring a more inclusive and dynamic conference experience across the two formats. We are separating the events by season, rather than seeking the simultaneous hybrid model, because it is difficult or impossible to unify two communities of presenters and attendees, causing a jarring split and often insufficient experience for both groups. 

We are thrilled to share that CLIR/DLF has partnered with member organization Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries and the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) to host DLF Forum’s in-person summer event, set to take place in July 2024. We are excited about this partnership because of all the innovative work happening at MSU Libraries and CAL in the areas of digital humanities and digital scholarly publishing, among others. Furthermore, we are equally excited to offer a virtual Fall Forum following the summer event. 

Why now?
Past agreements with hotels were established years in advance, and our commitment to fulfilling these agreements remained intact when we transitioned to virtual events in 2020 and 2021. With those prior commitments now fulfilled, we are eager to respond to community feedback and reevaluate our conference structure. 

Join us on this journey: The launch of the Forum Feedback series
As we embark on this exciting journey to reshape our conference structure, we want to emphasize the importance of the community’s involvement and feedback. Your insights and perspectives are invaluable in guiding us towards a conference experience that truly meets your needs and aspirations. To facilitate open communication and gather valuable insight, we are launching a series called “Forum Feedback” where folks can share thoughts, suggestions, and ideas. Your voice matters, and we need you to help shape the future of our community’s gatherings. Together, we will create a conference that reflects the evolving landscape and embraces the principles of health, safety, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability. 

Join us on December 6 for a feedback event
Join us on December 6th for a virtual participatory listening session where we will discuss how we gather.

Sign up for the DLF Forum newsletter
Get the news about Forum sent straight to your inbox by signing up for the DLF Forum newsletter.

Follow our posts 
We’ll share developments and ways to participate in Forum Feedback on the DLF blog using the category “Forum Feedback.”

Share your feedback, anytime
We would welcome your thoughts at any time via this feedback form, which will remain open through November 2024.

With gratitude,

 

Jennifer, on behalf of Team DLF